Takata Airbag Recall Affects Honda and Other Automakers

The car recalls just keep rolling in 2014, but for once a major one doesn’t involve a U.S. automaker. Instead, Honda and six other automakers are part of a recall that totals almost 10.5 million vehicles. The problem is that in some models, the airbags made by parts supplier Takata Corp can spontaneously explode, sending shrapnel flying through a vehicle’s interior. The recall is so large that it is in the top five in history.

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The effected airbags were manufactured by Takata from 2000 to 2002. Honda and other manufacturers like Mazda, BMW, Ford and Nissan are expanding the recall to include even more cars that are being used in high-humidity areas in the United States. The expanded recall is at the request of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and is being called a “field action.” The fix includes removing and installing new inflators.

Globally, Honda is recalling about 2.03 million vehicles. Mazda has announced it will be recalling 159,807 vehicles, and Nissan stated its recall total will be 755,000 models. While Ford and BMW haven’t announced just how many vehicles will be recalled, industry experts peg the number at somewhere around one million each. Among the high-humidity recall are owners who live in places like Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Hawaii. NHTSA is directing which areas are humid enough to necessitate a recall, according to the automakers. Honda is taking things a step further than the government agency’s request, and is recalling vehicles in states like Alabama, South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana.

Continuing the good news is an ongoing investigation into whether airbags that were made by Takata after 2002 are disposed to failure. For now, consumers will have to wait and see if and when their vehicle is recalled.